Tips & Tricks for Sound Bar

[Philips - QK]

We always would like to give you the best support so that you can optimize the product performance the best.
You can configure your Sound Bar for maximum impact with advice from the professionals:

Sound Bar


1. Center the SoundBar right under the TV for a balanced sound experience, so picture and sound play from the same origin — just the way the cinema engineer intended.

2. Place the SoundBar so that the speakers are in line with your ears. This lets you hear more detail, especially at high frequencies. However, this should be balanced with the preferred height of your TV.

3. Leave at least 1 meter of space between the SoundBar and both sidewalls so the sound reflects in a balanced, symmetrical way.

4. To experience the maximum surround sound effect, allow 3 to 8 meters distance between the sound setup and the listening area.

5. Make sure the SoundBar doesn’t block the TV screen – the TV should be elevated higher, or be wall mounted.

6. The ideal place for the TV and SoundBar is on the wall: if the TV is wall mounted, the SoundBar can be easily mounted under it with the supplied bracket. You can then remove the feet pads for a cleaner look.

7. If wall mounted, leave a 10 to 15 centimeter gap between the SoundBar and TV, so you can access the top control panel and vertical disc loader (for most of our models).

8. The subwoofer can be placed anywhere in the room as long as it’s at least 1 meter away from the main unit. This prevents sound vibrations from interfering with the disc reader. Leave about 10 centimeters between the subwoofer and the wall to let sound carry with the airflow.

9. Obsessed with replicating the ‘live’ experience? Then place your subwoofer on the right side of your TV and SoundBar – the bass and brass section of an orchestra are traditionally located on that side.

10. Great sound also depends on your home environment. A room with curtains and carpet helps to dampen the noise reflections for more authentic sound. Speakers and subwoofers out in the open also produce better sound – so avoid placing them in an enclosed shelf and cupboard space.

Share your own tips with the community here!

[SDHTS5]

Based on my experience with the HTS5120 mounted on the wall, I would suggest the following for a good 5.1 experience.

- Place the Soundbar at a height which is within 1ft(12inches) of your ears while is seated position. This helps create an Ambient soundstage otherwise you will hear localized surround sound.

- Tilt the Soundbar a little towards the ears, use a 1-2 mm padding on the top back to get that slight tilt, it helps the overall sound experience.

- Use the "DVS Wide" Surround Audio for DTS, as the bass range in DTS is much wider and you will get clearer Spoken Audio from the movies with DTS Audio.

- You can use either of the "DVS Wide" or "DVS Ref" for Dolby Audio, doesnt make much difference.

- A Boxed room setup is better with walls on both sides of the Soundbar since the sound has to reflect from the walls.

- For HD Audio from your Satellite box use the Optical-In, satellite broadcast uses Dolby Digital Plus standards which are quite different from the DTS/Dolby Audio in DVD's, dont expect the same levels of sound experience from them, its faded down compared to DVD's or you can step up the volume a bit.